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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23459302">Dusk Till Dawn</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaise_On_Melancholy_Hill/pseuds/Blaise_On_Melancholy_Hill'>Blaise_On_Melancholy_Hill</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Not Finished, But Too Good to Throw Away [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Direction (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Addict Zayn, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Fluff, Librarian Liam, M/M, Overdose, Stress, Worry, explicit descriptions of drug use</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:28:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,489</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23459302</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaise_On_Melancholy_Hill/pseuds/Blaise_On_Melancholy_Hill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This isn't finished, but I thought it was worth posting anyways. ^-^</p><p>Zayn frequents the local library where one of the librarians takes and interest in him. Liam seems to be a bit of a douchebag, but after their disastrous meeting, Liam tries to make it up to Zayn. He brings Zayn's abandoned library books to his flat where he's already falling into some sort of drug induced haze.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Zayn Malik/Liam Payne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Not Finished, But Too Good to Throw Away [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687612</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dusk Till Dawn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This has been in my folders for over a year. I haven't been able to finish it and I've never been able to put a proper second chapter to it, but I didn't want to delete it. I hope that this first bit is worth something and somebody enjoys reading it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The stacks were quiet- as they should be at nearly ten at night, and there was only one person that wandered through the bookshelves, searching through the tomes. Nimble fingers located one title, bringing it down from the shelf before the pages were flipped open. Movement at the end of the stack drew the attention of the person there, and he lifted his head to look up toward the other who had appeared. </p><p>"I'm on to you."</p><p>He couldn't help the little frown that crossed his face as he flipped the book closed gently, tipping his head to the side a bit as he regarded the male at the end of the row with this confused frown. "Excuse me?"</p><p>"You come in late at night when all the other book lovers are gone... you want to get my attention, but you don't have the confidence to say so."</p><p>He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the comment, and he reached to take another book off the shelf in front of him before he pushed his way lightly past the man standing at the end of the aisle. He crossed the large room toward the front desk, putting the books down onto the countertop with a soft breath. The same guy- Liam, was it?- crossed behind the desk, taking his library card to scan it before he put his books through.</p><p>"So... Zayn-"</p><p>"Don't start," He sighed.</p><p>"It's not that. You have quite a few overdue books. Technically, if you're still in possession of six or more books, I'm not supposed to let you check out any more."</p><p>Looking away, Zayn let out a little breath, grabbing his bag to sling it over his shoulder as he walked away. </p><p>"Wait-"</p><p>He didn't bother to even pause, pushing the door open with a little more force than he had probably meant for. Flipping his hood up, Zayn crossed the parking lot, heading down the road toward home. </p><p>It didn't take long, no more than a few minutes for Zayn to reach the worn down apartment building he lived in. He had nothing more than a single room flat with a bathroom off the side of it. A kitchenette sat in the corner across the room from the bed which was on the floor to the left of the wall an old TV sat on the carpet in front of. His clothes were in a box at the end of the bed, and though the place was small, he was quite comfortable in the space. </p><p>Closing the door behind himself, Zayn kicked off his shoes before he dropped his bag on the floor just there in the corner. He stretched lightly as he crossed the room toward the kitchenette, tugging the small countertop fridge open to take out a small vial. His other hand moved to the drawer beneath the fridge on the counter, and he pulled it open to take out a syringe.</p><p>He closed the fridge, pushing the drawer closed with his hip as he removed the cover off the syringe. He tossed the plastic piece into the trash can as he passed by on his way toward the bed. He picked up the remote, turning on the TV to the only channel he could manage to get with the terrible cable the building had. He sat down onto the mattress, pausing for a moment as he stuck the syringe through the rubber cork at the end of the vial.</p><p>He couldn't stop the way he bit his lip as he pulled up the plunger, filling up the syringe as it went- perhaps overdoing it just a little. Withdrawing the needle, Zayn leaned over to place the vial on the floor, picking up a piece of rubber tubing which he tied tightly around his upper left arm. Leaning his arm over his lap comfortably, relaxed, Zayn pressed the syringe into the vein at the inside of his elbow with a little wince. </p><p>He'd always hated that part, but some part of him always looked forward to it- at least to what he knew it would bring. As the plunger slid slowly down the inside of the syringe, Zayn let out a small breath closing his eyes as it reached the end. Withdrawing the needle from soft flesh, Zayn untied the tubing, tossing it back onto the floor where it had been before he stuck the syringe into the top of the vial to keep it clean. </p><p>It didn't take long- just a handful of minutes before he began to feel the effects. He laid back onto the bed, fully ready to relax into his high before a knock quite loudly interrupted him. Lifting his head, Zayn let out a sigh before he pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the light headedness the quick movement caused. Another knock sounded just a moment before he opened the door, raising an eyebrow at Liam, who still had a hand raised. </p><p>"Oh! Um... your address is on your account- I hope this isn't too weird, but I withdrew those books for you that you wanted."</p><p>Zayn glanced down toward the mentioned books as they were offered to him, and though he wanted to reach and take them, he found that he couldn't lift a hand from the doorway without feeling like he would fall. That light headedness hadn't gone away in the slightest, and Zayn felt his breath speed up just slightly with panic. </p><p>"Are you... alright?"</p><p>Without thinking, Zayn shook his head, reaching up to hold tightly onto Liam's arm as a hand moved to rest lightly on his shoulder. </p><p>"Did you-" Liam stopped, looking over Zayn into the room. The syringe was obvious and Liam couldn't stop the frown that crossed his face as he understood just what was going on. "You need to go to the hospital-"</p><p>"No!" Zayn's grip tightened with the word and with a strength Liam hadn't thought he would have, Zayn dragged him into the apartment, closing the door behind him. "You can't."</p><p>It was against his better judgement, but the pleading look he was fixed with made Liam cave, and he reached up to lightly steady Zayn with both hands. It took a bit of reassuring, and some coaxing, but eventually Liam got Zayn across the room to the bed, where he had him lie down. He took a seat at the edge of the mattress, holding tightly to the hand that squeezed his. </p><p>Zayn had gone silent and was steadily falling into whatever drug he was on, but it didn't look pleasant to Liam in the slightest. He steadily became warmer, his palm causing Liam's to sweat slightly, though he didn't let go- it was doubtful that Zayn would let him anyways. His skin took on this pink flush and it wasn't long before he was feverish. </p><p>Leaning forward a little, Liam reached up with his free hand, lightly pressing the back of his hand to Zayn's forehead, grimacing lightly at the heat radiating off of him. He shifted, moving to pull his hand away from Zayn. He had seemed to be in some kind of drug induced stupor, but as Liam tugged gently to try to part their hands, Zayn's eyes snapped open. </p><p>He sat up- mostly. Leaned slightly sideways onto one elbow, Zayn reached with his other hand to curl his fingers in the front of Liam's sweater, nails catching lightly on the fabric. "Don't leave me..."</p><p>"I won't," Liam promised, reaching up to gently make Zayn let go of him, making him lay back again. "I'm just going to get something to cool you down. I'll be right back."</p><p>"No," Zayn mumbled, a little frown creasing the space between his eyebrows as he squeezed his eyes closed in this uncomfortable kind of way, his breath stuttering for a moment. "You're gonna leave me."</p><p>"I promise I won't," Liam said, reaching up to lightly stroke his fingertips across Zayn's forehead, pushing his hair back from his face. "You can trust me, yeah?"</p><p>"I can trust you," Zayn repeated, his voice having taken on this kind of airy tone. </p><p>"I'll only be a second."</p><p>With a nod, Zayn agreed breathlessly and when Liam moved to pull back again, he easily slipped his hand out of Zayn's grip. He stood up, crossing the small flat toward the kitchen. It only took a few quick steps, and he pulled open the small countertop fridge, looking for anything cold that he could use. </p><p>Finding a small ice cube tray, Liam searched through the cupboards, becoming ever more panicky as the moments passed and Zayn's condition grew worse. He grabbed a glass, placing it on the counter as he reached for the ice cube tray with his other hand. He was shaky as he twisted the tray to pop the ice out of it, and he had to catch one of the cubes as it skittered across the counter and into the wall. He dropped it into the glass along with the rest before he filled the glass with water. He took down a bowl that he filled with cool water from the tap. </p><p>He took a moment to search through the cupboard under the sink to find an unused dishcloth that he dropped into the bowl before he picked up both it and the glass. He was honestly a little hurried as he crossed the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed again. He set the bowl on the floor before he leaned a little more toward where Zayn was lying. </p><p>"Zayn?"</p><p>Butterscotch eyes fluttered open and though they locked with his, they had this glassy, far away look, as if Zayn wasn't quite there anymore. Swallowing the panic that was still clawing it's way up his throat, Liam held up the glass. </p><p>"Do you think you can sit up?"</p><p>Zayn's gaze drifted away from his, rolling up and to the left as he shook his head in this absent kind of way. "I can't feel..."</p><p>Liam couldn't stop the little frown that crossed his face at just how bad this had gotten in just a couple of minutes. Abandoning the futile attempt at hydrating him, Liam set the glass on the floor before he reached for the cloth in the bowl. He squeezed most of the water out of it, sitting up to lightly press it against Zayn's forehead. The coolness must have brought some relief, as Zayn let out a breathless little exhale, relaxing slightly below the ministrations. Liam continued with the gentle movements, slipping the coolness of the cloth down over Zayn's temple and across his cheek.  </p><p>Hopefully, he would be able to get Zayn to drink something soon, but for now, this would work. His heart was pounding, not quickly, not from adrenaline, but panic was making the muscle beat hard against his chest, thudding against his ribs. He could almost swear he could feel the blood pumping through his veins, and the feeling was absolutely uncomfortable. There wasn't a single other time that he could think of when he had been quite so scared and panicked as he was right that moment, but he tried to push it down. He had to at least seem some semblance of calm if he was going to keep Zayn relaxed. </p><p>"How do you feel?" He asked, pushing the tremor from his tone as best as he could manage. </p><p>Zayn had gone slack by this point, his head lolled to the side in a not entirely uncomfortable looking way. "Heavy."</p><p>One hand lifted from the bed, the movement appearing almost strained, as if Zayn didn't have complete control over himself. His fingers spread stiffly, one heated palm pressing against his stomach just below his chest. "It hurts to breathe."</p><p>Liam couldn't stop the way his expression twisted into this worried frown with the words, and he looked away, taking a second to dip the cloth into the water again. "What are you on?"</p><p>Zayn shook his head, and Liam wasn't sure if that meant he didn't know, or if he wasn't going to say, but he decided against pushing for an answer. "Do you feel sick?"</p><p>Another head shake met the question and Liam let out a little breath. Well, at least he had that in his favour for now. </p><p>He went quiet for the next few minutes, choosing to focus on tending to Zayn. This wasn't exactly how he'd thought he'd spend his time with Zayn, and he honestly hoped to never have to do this again, but he knew not to hold his breath on that. </p><p>It took an agonizingly long time before it appeared that Zayn had somehow managed to doze off, but Liam still wasn't sure if he should let himself sleep as well. Something could still go wrong. Deciding against potentially disturbing Zayn, Liam set the cloth back into the bowl, not quite satisfied with the gentle heat still emanating from him. </p><p>He shifted, moving onto the other side of the bed before he let himself lie down. Unable to stop the way he glanced over toward Zayn, Liam rolled onto his side with a soft breath, sincerely hoping that he had done at least something correct. After a few minutes, Liam couldn't stop the exhaustion from overtaking him now that the panic was subsiding and he wasn't even aware of the moment he fell into a blissfully dreamless sleep. </p><p>It wasn't clear how many hours later it was that Liam found himself waking to something or other, and he lifted his head with a little breath. The room was still lit, and Zayn was still next to him, though now lying on his side, facing him. Liam met his gaze, unsure of how long he had been awake. He seemed more coherent now, that glazed look nearly completely gone from his eyes, but he still seemed quite blissed out.</p><p>"Thank you." The words were soft, barely a murmur in a cracked voice that sounded painful just from use. </p><p>"Don't. I wasn't going to leave you alone like that."</p><p>Zayn looked away, breaking from Liam's gaze before he shifted. Liam wasn't sure if he should be surprised or not as Zayn pressed against his chest, holding onto him lightly, but he still returned the embrace easily enough.</p><p>"If this... I get it, if you'd rather not see me after this."</p><p>A little frown crossed Liam's face, and he let out a little breath as he tightened his hold on Zayn's slim figure just slightly. </p><p>"On the contrary. I'd like to help you, if you'll let me."</p><p>Zayn was silent for a long moment before he pulled back, lying his head against the pillow Liam's was on. Those eyes met his again, and something seemed to pass through them before Zayn reached up to lightly caress his fingertips over the stubble at Liam's jaw. </p><p>"I would appreciate that."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Also, yes, this was based on one of the scenes from Ginger Snaps 2. I don't know why I like that movie so much lol.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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